Some small, mid sized and regional retailers who still set fees and expiration dates on gift cards could be affected by new card rules in August, 2010. That’s because The Federal Reserve is refusing to give retailers extra time to comply with new restrictions on gift card expiration dates, fees and disclosures, saying the rules […]

Considering the state of the economy last year, any improvement is to be cheered. That’s why the Washington, D.C. based National Retail Federation (NRF) was happy to report U.S. Commerce Department figures showing January 2010 retail industry sales increased 0.5 percent seasonally, adjusted month to month. “We continue to see the economy show subtle signs […]

Hundreds of thousands of law enforcement officers around the country will gain instant access to information on retail crime, through a new partnership between retailers and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Through the FBI’s Law Enforcement Online network, federal and local law enforcement will be able to directly […]

Sir Terry Leahy, CEO of Tesco, Britain’s largest supermarket chain, offered ten management lessons, recently at the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) Annual Conference in New York. They are: Find the truth. Don’t just rely on research or past experience. Find out where your company stands now by talking directly to the customer. They will be […]

Any increase in retail sales in 2010 is welcome news, after what the economy has been going through. So it is good news that the National Retail Federation is projecting retail industry sales (excluding automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) will increase 2.5 percent from last year. According to its bi-monthly Retail Sales Outlook, influential economic […]

THE NATIONAL Retail Federation (NRF) expressed disappointment recently in the Senate passage of health care reform legislation, saying the measure does little to reduce costs for businesses, and is likely to result in further retail job losses.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the $10 billion business tax refund in the recent unemployment bill will help save retail jobs. The legislation will bring recession plagued retailers and other businesses more than $10 billion in badly needed cash by lengthening the period during which they can “carry back” current losses, to claim […]